Sudan has been embroiled in conflict since April 15, 2023, stemming from disagreements between army General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo over the integration of the RSF into the army. The war has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis, claiming the lives of nearly 16,000 people and displacing millions.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed grave concern over the renewed violence in El Fasher, a city in Sudan’s North Darfur region.
This follows reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicating that dozens of civilians were killed in fierce clashes last Friday between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“The Secretary-General is gravely concerned by the outbreak of fighting in El Fasher, which puts over 800,000 civilians at risk,” Guterres’s deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, said in a statement. “He is alarmed by reports of the use of heavy weaponry in densely populated areas, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties, significant displacement, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure.”
Guterres emphasized the dire situation faced by civilians in the area, who are already grappling with a looming famine and the consequences of over a year of war.
He also reminded all parties involved of their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and urged them to allow safe passage for those seeking refuge in safer areas.
“He also requests that all parties facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to all civilians in need in El Fasher, across Darfur and the Sudan,” the statement said. “Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population and willfully impeding humanitarian relief for civilians in need may constitute war crimes.”
In March, Niger decided to withdraw from a military agreement with the US. Following this, discussions on the “orderly withdrawal” of the American troops from the West African country began. On Friday, a US defense official revealed that the US would finalize the details of the pullout of its troops “in the coming days.”
Chad, like Niger, also requested the departure of US forces from its territory. On May 1, a US defense official disclosed that 60 military personnel had been transferred from Chad to Germany as part of a security cooperation reassessment between the two nations.
